Short Summary

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL DO CAO TRI, COMMANDER OF THE III CORPS, TACTICAL ZONE AND ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKING OFFICERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM, WAS INTERVIEWED ON WEDNESDAY (20 NOVEMBER) ABOUT THE FUTURE COURSE OF THE VIETNAM WAR.

Description

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL DO CAO TRI, COMMANDER OF THE III CORPS, TACTICAL ZONE AND ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKING OFFICERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM, WAS INTERVIEWED ON WEDNESDAY (20 NOVEMBER) ABOUT THE FUTURE COURSE OF THE VIETNAM WAR. THE GENERAL SPOKE IN FRENCH.

GENERAL TRI'S CORPS AREA INCLUDES SAIGON AND THE CAMBODIAN BORDER AREA AROUND TAY MINH PROVINCE. THE III CORPS HAS BEEN UNDER HEAVY PRESSURE SINCE THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, INCLUDING HEAVY ATTACKS ON SAIGON ITSELF.

THIRTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD GENERAL TRI, WHO IS ONE OF PRESIDENT THIEU'S CLOSEST ADVISORS, WAS BORN AT BIEN HOA, 18 MILES SOUTH OF SAIGON, AND NOW HIS CORPS HEADQUARTERS. HE GRADUATED FROM THE FRENCH OFFICER AIRBORNE TRAINING SCHOOL AND FROM FORT LEVENWORTH IN THE U.S.A. HE FOUGHT WITH THE FRENCH AGAINST THE VIET-MINH, AND WAS SOUTH VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA IN 1967. HE HAS BEEN COMMANDER OF THE III CORPS SINCE AUGUST THIS YEAR. HE HAS ALSO BECOME WELL-KNOWN FOR HIS ABILITY TO MOVE TROOPS SWIFTLY INTO THREATENED AREAS.